11 Reasons Extreme Poverty Will Disappear by 2035
Is eliminating extreme poverty possible or is it heresy? Is it just a matter of interpretation or a matter of priorities?
Not Your Typical College Road Trip
By the end of their 3,000-mile bike ride, Travis and Alissa Hilley and Jason Hardrath will have changed a small corner of Guatemala, providing lifesaving safe water systems for impoverished children and their families.
Join Us for One Day Without Shoes
Join us tomorrow, April 5, 2011, in TOMS Shoes’ annual event — One Day Without Shoes — to raise awareness of the impact a pair of shoes can have on a child’s life.
This Is Where You Come In
Child development specialists say that 18-year-old Emilda Soriano has the mental capacity of a 3-year-old. But this hasn’t prevented her from qualifying to represent the Philippines in track and field at the International Special Olympics in Athens, Greece this summer. Let’s raise the money to send Emilda to Greece.
Defining Moments
In this video, our president, Wess Stafford, describes a simple moment he witnessed that epitomizes the kind of action that can cause a child’s confidence to skyrocket. As you watch it, we hope it brings to mind similar experiences in your life that you will share with us!
Out of the Ordinary
“All the believers were together and had everything in common. Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need.” – Acts 2:44-45 (NIV)
In today’s world, that’s out of the ordinary. Unfortunately, society preaches the opposite: More is better! People seem to acquire more “things” that they seem to hold onto with a firm grip. Of course, I understand necessities or essentials – for example, people need transportation to get to work – but WHAT IF you and I sold our *nonessentials* in order to provide for those who truly have need?
Here’s what worked for me: Go into your closet, around your house, your basement (I know, it might be intimidating!) Imagine God with you – imagine God cleaning those places out with you. What would He throw in the “to be sold so others may eat” pile?
In my pile were (just to name a couple):
Handbags:
Me: “But God, I really like those bags. This cute little black one, yeah I use it when I go out to dinner with my husband.”
God: “Britt, when was the last time you went out to dinner with you husband?”
Me (shuffles feet): “Um … does PB&J in our backyard when the kiddos go to sleep count?
God: “Britt, you really don’t use that bag, do you?”
Me: “I guess not.”
A fancy dress that I wore back in 2005:
Me: “But God, this was a dress that I wore to a very special ball. It saw important people! I looked so good in this dress! What if I go somewhere fancy again and need this dress?!”
God: “Britt, have you worn this dress since? And don’t start on who you think important people are – remember, I have no favorites. Oh, by the way, give me a break – the dress couldn’t possibly see anyone because it’s not living – whereas I have children all over the world who could benefit from you selling this dress.”
Me (bites lip): “Well, when you put it like that …”
Can you think of some things that you are holding onto? Why are you holding onto them? Are they really that important?
This will be hard. The enemy will try and deceive you. Here’s what he tried whispering in my ear:
“Ah, but what sort of difference would one, two or even a hundred people make? This is a waste of time. Besides, you deserve to hold onto these things. Someone else will take care of those kids.”
But fight back!
Remember that your faith tells you that we serve an amazingly loving God who will work through us – can you imagine the possibilities if you take that first step?
From the Archives
Do Not Show Partiality to the Poor
If you hang around here a lot, you’re probably familiar with verses like these:
“He who oppresses the poor shows contempt for their Maker, but whoever is kind to the needy honors God.” – Proverbs 14:31 (NIV)
Or one of my personal favorites:
“‘He defended the cause of the poor and needy… Is not that what it means to know me?’ declares the Lord.” – Jeremiah 22:16 (NIV)
There are so many verses that demand we deal kindly with those in need around us. But here’s another little nugget from the Bible:
“Do not pervert justice; do not show partiality to the poor or favoritism to the great, but judge your neighbor fairly.” – Leviticus 19:15, NIV (emphasis added)
Do not show partiality to the poor? The first thing that my mind jumps to is, “God, is this really a big problem? People being too nice to the poor?”
Read the entire post
What is Evangelism?
Have you ever wondered how Compassion, an openly evangelical organization, is able to work in Muslim or Hindu countries where evangelism is illegal? I have.
The other day I had an opportunity to spend an hour with a couple of our field staff, Mathew from India and Kevin from Bangladesh, and I asked them this question:
How can Compassion work in India or Bangladesh or Indonesia?
Here is what they said …
The Twinkie Project
Do you ever feel as if you are on the cusp of something big? Do you wrestle with restlessness in your spirit that you can neither calm nor pinpoint a reason for? It’s as if you feel that you, your life, is on the brink of something, a major change or transition; like something is about to happen and you have a big part in it – you just don’t know what or how.
That’s where I’m at. And I’ve decided that, despite the mystery of it and the frustration that comes with the not knowing, I’m excited anyway.
If you don’t remember or if you are new here, I have been sporadically writing about a program nicknamed the “Twinkie Project,” which has been in development since last August. I have tempted and beaten around the bush for months about what it is and when it will come to light. And I’m still doing so. 🙂
But … it is now time my friends to tear off some of the wrapping and let you see a little of what this thing is about. Just a glimpse though. It’s really an out-of-context look, but then again it’s also kind of in the context. 😉 (more…)
Alexander Needs Heart Surgery
Have you ever heard of Atrial Septal Defect (ASD)? Apparently, it’s a congenital heart defect.
If you have a defect in your interatrial septum, the tissue that divides the right side of your heart from the left side, your blood can get confused. And if that happens, you end up with blood that goes where it shouldn’t. That’s bad.
In a normal heart, the left ventricle has to produce enough pressure to pump blood throughout the entire body, but the right ventricle has to produce only enough pressure to pump blood to the lungs.
In the case of a large defect, this pressure difference means that blood from the left atrium can flood and enlarge the right side of the heart and, if left untreated, can result in heart failure.
That’s ASD in a nutshell. And this is why I tell you.
Alexander is an 8-year-old Kenyan boy who has ASD. He is in the third grade and is the youngest child in a family of five. Because his heart has been pumping deoxygenated blood to his growing body for his entire life, Alexander is smaller than most children his age.
In August 2008, during an evaluation at the child development center, a pediatrician noticed that Alexander has a heart murmur. Follow-up tests in Nairobi identified the birth defect and recommended a cardiac catheterization procedure and open heart surgery.
But Alexander’s parents are peasant farmers, and his mother sells fruit at the market to earn extra income. They survive on $13.70 per month.
$13.70 a month is barely adequate to meet the family’s basic needs, let alone pay for open heart surgery.
At this point, heart failure is a real possibility for Alexander. However, studies have shown that patients with a surgically repaired ASD have an excellent prognosis, particularly when the operation is done before the age of 25.
But Alexander’s family can’t afford the operation. It costs $8,303.
Alexander has been waiting to receive the surgery for several months now, since early December, but he can’t wait any longer. His condition has recently worsened – which made me think of something Amanda suggested back in February.
“I am just kicking around a few ideas here. What if Compassion had a “Spotlight of the Week” – or “Spotlight of the Month?” It could be either a child (medical need?), family, or small community need. It could even be in the area of the global financial crisis, disaster relief, Child Survival Program, or some other facet of Compassion. For example, one week you could highlight the (global food crisis) need of a community in Uganda to have goats or seeds for crops (or both). After the donations have been given, you could easily follow up with a story in the blog to share the results of the giving.”
So, Alexander has a need. And our objective is to give him a normal heart. Can we do this for him?
Make a donation to help pay for Alexander’s surgery. (Update: May 21, 2009 – You did it! And more. You contributed around $10,000. I expect to have the exact amount tomorrow.)
Thank you for loving this child.
As I receive updates on how Alexander is doing, I will share them with you. I can’t promise you updates with any degree of regularity though. I can just promise that there will be a follow-up.
So Human Blog Contest
Okay, y’all. The paint is barely dry on our first blog contest (which Juli Jarvis won) which means it must be time for our second contest. This time we’ve asked Tim Glenn to pony up the prize.
You may know Tim for his thought-provoking posts. But do you know that he is also a member of our independent artist network? He promotes Compassion at his concerts and through his website and CD sales.
Tim’s latest CD, So Human, has just been released; actually, the release party is this Friday, and we asked him if he’d be willing to give away a couple of copies. He said yes.
Before we tell you how you can get your hands on the CD, let’s find out what it’s all about.
“During my life as a Christian, I have seen a lot of people disillusioned about what this religion is all about. And I think, to a great extent, it could be our fault. ‘Everyday with Jesus is sweeter than the day before’ the old hymn says. I know what that hymn is trying to say, but the message often gets misconstrued. There are no bad days? There are no ‘down’ days? You see, I fear that we may often (although unintentionally) give the impression that once you accept Christ, you’re on an ‘escalator ride to God.’
I don’t know about you, but my spiritual journey has been more of a roller coaster ride than an escalator. That’s why I recorded this new album, So Human. It’s an honest look at my spiritual journey. I’ve never been this transparent in my songwriting before. There are songs for those peak moments, when you feel like you could reach out and touch God and there are songs for those valleys where you feel like He couldn’t hear you if you shouted at the top of your lungs. And I admit, I’ve done some shouting. (Just being honest here.) I want my music to be a real reflection of who I am, who God is in my life and what it’s like to take this journey. I think it’s important that believers know that there are others out there who have very real lives — lives that come with heartache as well as joy; peace as well as turmoil.
One of the songs on the album, Where Are You? was borne out of one of those dark moments. It seems odd to talk about it now, but I was really struggling with not being a dad. I wanted to be a father so much. I prayed. My wife and I prayed. We wanted children. Still, after 12 years of marriage . . . no kids. I became angry at God. Then, completely broken. I felt like it was too late to be repaired. God was too far away to hear my cries. Where Are You? Wouldn’t you know it? God gave us a son! And now, baby #2 is on the way! And yes, being a dad is everything I hoped it would be — and more! Sometimes, I think God waits for you to have those “valley” moments before He can work with you. He needs you to be broken. That’s why the song right after ‘Where Are You ‘is called ‘Here I Am’ — God revealing Himself in a powerful way.”
So, for the contest:
Write a blog post about one of your “peak” or “valley” moments, and in the post, link back here. Then, leave us a comment so we know you’re participating.
On Monday, November 24, we’ll put all of your entries into a hat and draw a winner for an autographed copy of Tim’s new CD.
And for a second chance to win: go to Tim’s Facebook page and leave a comment there!
Yep. Just leave a comment and you’ll have a chance to win the other autographed CD he’s giving us. That’ll be a random drawing too. And it’ll happen on the same day, November 24.
While you’re at Tim’s Facebook page, be sure to “Become a Fan.”
We look forward to reading your stories of your spiritual journey.
Who Do You Hope Wins?
The stories all of you shared during our first blog contest were encouraging, inspiring and, well . . . everything that Christ is, to all of us.
Thank you for giving us a glimpse into how “hope lives” in your lives — how He lives.
And thank you for participating.
Would you please take some time to read what these three ladies wrote about hope in their lives?
Help us make the hard choice of who gets our non-eternal prize — autographed copies of Party Divas and Hope Lives.
- Hope Lives! – by Princess Leia
- Hope lives because everyone makes a difference. – by Trena Irwin
- Six Times – by Juli Jarvis
Thank you for voting.
Our First Blog Contest
We’ve been wanting to do this for a looong time now, and it’s finally here — our first blog contest!
It took some time to hoodwink someone into donating a prize, but we finally found Amber.
Well, we knew where Amber was the whole time, so the truth is that we finally thought to ask her to donate autographed copies of her two books, Party Divas and Hope Lives.
What’s the gist of the contest?
- Write a blog post describing how “hope lives” in your life.
- Link back to this post in your post.
- Leave us a comment, including a link to your blog, so we know you’re participating.
- If you don’t have a blog, you can still participate. Just tell us how “hope lives” in your life by commenting on this post.
- We’ll choose three finalists.
- You’ll pick a winner from the three finalists.
Simple. Right?
Oh, one other thing. Write your “hope lives” post by Tuesday, November 11. Voting will be between November 12 and 15, with the winner announced on Monday, November 17.
Hmmm. Guess that was really three things. 🙂
